On Facebook & Censorship, Part 2

My friend and fellow artist, Joel Adams, blogs today on how his profile was deleted from Facebook, after  he posted the cover of the newest edition of Carrie Leigh's NUDE magazine, due on newsstands shortly.  Joel explains his difficulties and position very well in his blog, so I won't repeat it here.


However, when you read Joel's issues with Facebook, it goes back to the same issue I had--the ambiguous "Terms of Service."  They plop all of the violations into one blanket statement, including "drug use, violence, and nudity."  Now, with the number of people under the age 18 on Facebook, I feel that we ALL must be responsible with the content on our pages, and I have edited my nude artwork accordingly.


But Facebook doesn't define nudity.....is it nipples?  pubic area?  implied nudity?  We have very clear rules on modeling industry websites such as Model Mayhem on what images can be displayed in the public areas, like avatars.  But clear rules don't seem to exist on Facebook.  Joel's page is private, so he can't get random visitors to his profile, either.  And, as he points out, no live person responded to him to explain why this image violated the terms of service.  


The cover that Joel uploaded is a great photo of a beautiful girl, photographed by Carrie Leigh, one of the most prominent fine art nude photographers in the world.   I emphasized fine art for a reason.....it is NOT porn, it is not eroticism---it is a celebration of the beauty of the female figure.  Not unlike Da Vinci, Michelangelo, even Vargas and Elvgren.  And there is no explicit nudity in the photo.  This magazine is sold openly in bookstores like Borders, where young kids easily have access (it's usually stacked in the "fine art/photography section at my Borders).


I have no issue with blocking inappropriate material on Facebook......we need to protect young people from adult images and content.  But please, give us the guidelines as to what can and cannot be posted, Facebook.  And apply them equally.